Roswell: What Would Have Been Virtual Show
by needtakehave
Summary: The new and improved virtual show starting with Season 4 of what WOULD have happened AFTER Season 3 and them leaving Roswell. Each chapter is a new "episode".
1. 401: Second Time Around

_Dear Diary,_

_I'm Liz Parker-Evans. Recently, I married my true love, Max Evans. We're on the run from the government – 'we' being Max, Maria, Michael, Isabel, Kyle and I. Yesterday, I died… again. I'm beginning to think that's my fate – to die and come back to life over and over. On the other hand, I wonder if the next time will be my last and I'll stop cheating death – cheating destiny. Max keeps telling me it's not my destiny to die and that's why he is always there to heal me, to save me, but I have my doubts. So yesterday I died..._

The car sat at the edge of the cliff. If Liz leaned over the dashboard enough she'd see over the ledge to the bottom. It was about a seventy-five foot cliff, not _too_ far down, but enough that the possibility of death was great. Liz looked over at Max, her husband of only a month, and gave him a brave smile. Inside, she was anything but brave. Max looked grim; he was trying to convince Liz to surrender to the FBI agents who had been chasing them for an hour now.

"Max, we can't! You _know_ what they will do to us – to you – if we give in!" she said, her voice filled with urgency. She _had_ to convince him! They couldn't surrender; the outcome would be a fate worse than death.

He nodded absently.

She tried a different tactic. "Remember when they had you in the White Room? Remember how horrible it was? Max, would you _really_ wish that fate on me? Because you _know_ that's what will happen if we surrender," she said, though not unkindly. She hated playing the protection card but if saved them both, so be it.

She watched his face. It seemed to freeze and then harden. The words had hit their mark. He swallowed and nodded, "You're right. I don't like it, but you're right. What do we do though? We can't just sit here and we can't lose them now."

She sighed and turned her head to look out the window. Her head turned back sharply as a horn blared behind them. Panic swelled in her throat in what felt like a lump the size of her fist. Her face had gone pale and she swallowed with difficulty, her hand clutching Max's in a painful grip. Her knuckles were white with the force she was using.

"You're right, but what are we going to do, Max?" she asked, her voice shaky and panicked. It was only by sheer will that she was able to not scream. Hysteria wasn't something Liz Parker did, but in the face of getting captured she almost wanted to. Her eyes searched his frantically, hoping he'd have some magical answer that would solve their problems and make things okay.

Max _was_ frantic though not over the thought of being captured himself. Though his time in the White Room had been traumatic, he survived and would again if he had to. It was Liz he wasn't sure about. He was certain she was strong – stronger than he was, in fact. It wasn't strength that made him doubt her, but he knew the lengths the government could and would go to secure information they wanted. He didn't know physically if she'd survive. The thought of what they would do to her terrified him in ways that nothing else could. It shook him to the core, but more than that, it shook his resolve, made him waver.

_No, she's right_, he thought. _We can't surrender. What could they do, though? They had no real escape. Stupidly, they_'_d taken a back road out of some small insignificant town in Indiana thinking that it would be the best way because there would be no traffic. Stupid is what it was_, he thought.

The road they'd taken to get out of town didn't have traffic but because they had had no time and no planning, they didn't realize that it also had no end other than a staggering cliff. The very one they were now facing. Absently, Max hoped the others had fared better when they parted. Maria and Michael left in one car and Kyle and Isabel in another. They'd decided to split up to leave the FBI with less manpower after them and an improved chance to get away. Hopefully, the others had taken better paths and ended up far away and safe.

Max took a deep breath and turned to face Liz, blocking out the sounds of the sirens coming closer to them by the second.

"The only choices I see are surrender or ….." he stopped, hesitating on the last part because it was almost too hard to say, "death..."

Liz frowned. "Death? What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Max nodded towards the front of the jeep and the cliff.

"We just drive off… If we're lucky, we might survive, but if not… at least we won't be taken by the FBI."

Liz's eyes immediately went to the windshield. Her eyes were wide and her mouth formed an 'O'. Various thoughts raced through her head and after a moment she finally gave a nod, "At least we'll be together, no matter what."

"Till death do us part," Max agreed, his hand going to the small diamond on her ring finger reminding them both of their wedding day. It had been one of the most memorable and joyous days of both of their lives.

Liz smiled, "I love you, Max Evans and –" she was interrupted as the blaring of the sirens became so close behind them she had to shout to be heard. A sob choked her. It was _too soon_.

"You're sure?" Max asked, his hands going to cradle her face as he brought his mouth gently against hers. "We don't have to… We could surrender…" he said.

She shook her head firmly, "No. We can't. Better this than the alternative. Let's do it, they'll be on us in seconds."

He nodded and lowered his head, his mouth devouring hers in a kiss filled with enough passion to start a fire. Everything he was, all the love he had for her, the regrets, happiness, memories and so much more was packed all in that one kiss. Gasping, he tore his mouth away from hers and put the jeep in drive. Before either of them had a chance to change their minds, he pressed his foot on the gas and started forward.

"Put your seatbelt on!" he yelled moments before they went off the cliff.

They had microseconds before they were in the air. Struggling, Liz got it on and held on to the side of the jeep with all she had. Then they were airborne. They could see the clouds, blue and fluffy in the sky. It was like flying. With gravity, things must come down and so did they. First they were airborne and then they were freefalling to the bottom. She could see the cop cars screeching to a stop on top of the cliff. She remembered thinking it would have been nice if they'd gone over too just before there was a loud bang and such a jarring impact. It stole the very breath from her.

Max jerked awake, choking. Looking around, his eyes watered from the fumes near his head. Turning it slightly to the side, he could see a fire behind him in the back of the jeep. It was blazing high, the fumes drifting with the wind. If they didn't get out of there, they'd both choke to death from the fumes of the fire at the very least. At most, the jeep might explode. Either way, they _had_ to get out. Struggling around, he saw Liz slumped in her seat.

"Liz!" he yelled, his voice hoarse and cracked from the smoke. Clearing his throat, he tried again, "Liz!"

When she made no movement Max became worried. Struggling out of his seat and slamming his shoulder against the door that seemed to be welded shut from the fire, he crawled out of the jeep. Staggering to his feet, his eyes were wide at the scene before him. The jeep was upside down, on fire, flames covering the back and through the haze of smoke he could see gas running out of the car. Max shook his head to clear it. As quick as he could, he limped around to Liz's side of the jeep. Her door had come off sometime during the crash so it was easy to push aside. As he unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her out he noticed her head was cut and blood was gushing from it. He cursed, picking her up in his arms, cradling her head to his chest.

"Liz!" he screamed.

Walking as far away from the jeep as he could that he thought might be a safe enough distance away, he dropped them both to the ground with a thud.

He fished in his jeans pocket for his cell phone, dialing Isabel's cell number. When she answered she was frantic with questions; how were they, where were they, blah blah blah. Stopping her with an 'Isabel!' he told her the road they'd taken, described the ravine below and told her to find and get them. Without waiting for a response or more questions, he hung up.

Dropping the phone next to him, his hand immediately went to Liz's forehead. He wiped away blood, trying to tell if the cut was superficial or something more dangerous. His other hand went to her stomach where there was more blood. He could see a large gash there. It was deep and already spilling blood onto her stomach and clothes; too much blood. His breath caught in his throat.

Her eyes fluttered and opened for a second before closing in the next instant. Taking it as a good sign that she was waking up, he pulled her into his lap.

In reality, Liz was far from waking up. Her breathing became slower and slower till Max had a hard time telling if she was breathing at all. A sob tore at Max's throat. He _wouldn't_ lose her! Not now – not after everything they'd been through and survived. When her chest stopped moving completely, his hand automatically went to the wound on her stomach. Light spread under it and slowly the wound healed as if it had never been. Within seconds Liz's eyes opened. Max smiled, tears in his eyes, his hands trembling as he pulled her to him and kissed her gently. He healed the cut on her forehead as well just to be sure.

"I love you," he told her, his voice still cracking.

Close by they could hear the sounds of a car. Liz got up on her hands and knees. Max stood up, in case it was the FBI and getting ready to fight when, a car came barreling towards them, dust and gravel flying everywhere. As soon as it stopped, Isabel came rushing out towards them.

"What happened?" she asked immediately, her voice filled with concern.

Max just shook his head, "Later. We have to get out of here. The FBI will be down here any second."

Kyle had come up next to Isabel and was about to say something when Liz cut him off, "Max is right. Let's just get out of here and we can talk about all of this later. We need to meet Michael and Maria."

Together, the four of them climbed into the green sedan and they took off towards the meeting place they had decided on. Each was in their own thoughts as they drove. They all hoped Michael and Maria hadn't been captured and would be waiting for them.

Back at the ravine, the FBI pulled up near the wreckage.

"It's going to blow!" an officer yelled just before the jeep blew up, sending parts of the jeep in every direction. Minutes later, Agent Brock squatted down. His eyes took in the items that had been thrown directly at his feet. He frowned as he picked up a purse that still held a drivers license, keys, cash and various female things. Next, he picked up two jackets. Standing back up, he looked at the personal items in his hands.

"Sir, it looks as though they are dead. There is nothing left of the jeep but those," the cop said, his head motioning to the items in the Agent's hands.

Agent Brock's mouth pursed in a frown. "Maybe," he said in reply.

On the drive, Liz couldn't help but think back to everything that had happened that day and how they'd gotten to this point.

******** FLASHBACK ********

Liz had leaned against the door of the hotel room earlier that day, waiting for Max to fish his keys out of his pocket while trying to juggle two bags of food they'd bought. Finally, Max was able to maneuver enough to get the key in the lock. With his foot, he started to push the door when it suddenly sprang open of its own accord, sending Max sprawling headfirst into Michael. They both fell to the floor in a heap.

Kyle sat nearby, laughing and pointing as the duo tried to untangle themselves from each other and the contents of the grocery bag. Michael mumbled things what Max could do with himself.

"What's that? I can't hear you," Max said, a little ticked off himself as he got to his feet.

"I _said_ that you should watch where you're going, Maxwell!" Michael said, his tone frosty.

"Watch where I'm -? Michael! I was the one coming through the door! Didn't you hear me jingling the lock?"

"Yeah, which is why I opened the door for you!" Michael shouted back.

"Don't do me any favors!" Max said.

"I won't! Next time I'll ignore Maria like I normally do. This is what I get for trying to help," Michael said, yanking the can of spaghetti sauce out of Max's hand. Taking the other food he'd gathered off the floor, he moved into the kitchen.

Maria followed behind him doing some yelling of her own. "Like you normally do? What do you mean 'like you normally do'?" she asked.

Kyle watched the entire scene with intense amusement. Isabel sat in the _exact_ spot on the couch she'd been in when Max and Liz had left. Her only movement was when the commotion started. She had shaken her head and put on her iPod to drown out the arguing. Liz just smiled and wrapped her arms around Max from behind, "We did our part. We did the shopping. Now, Michael and the others get to do the cooking."

Max nodded, a smile on his face. "That's if Maria doesn't talk his ear off with her rant of the day."

Liz punched him lightly on the shoulder, "That's my best friend you're talking about."

"I know, but I'm not sure how much more nagging Michael can take. He's been so on edge lately, I think he is about to snap," Max said.

Liz nodded but looked concerned, "I know, but it's not just him, Maria is the same and Isabel…" she trailed off as both she and Max turned to survey the figure sitting prone of the couch. They both watched her sadly.

"She's further gone than they are… Everyone needs a break or something is going to give soon," Liz said.

Max sighed, "I know. I don't know what to do about it. I just don't have all the answers," he said, wishing he did and berating himself for not.

Liz wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard, "Max, you don't need to have all the answers. We're a team, remember? We do things together now… Husband and wife. Till death do us part."

He put his nose in her hair, inhaling the jasmine scent of her shampoo and nodded, saying nothing.

An hour later, the group sat down to the spaghetti that Michael had made. Maria chattered on about nothing in particular, pausing occasionally to make sure Michael was actually listening because of his earlier comment. Isabel ate in silence, while Kyle tried to cheer her up, making jokes and even poking her in the arm. The only sign that she'd noticed was the frosty look she gave him, though she continued to ignore him. Max and Liz ate while giving each other loving looks.

After dinner they all sat watching a movie. Halfway through, Maria was restless, tired of being cooped up in the hotel. She didn't think it was fair that no one seemed was allowed to leave except Max and Liz, even if that was only to get groceries. She stood up suddenly. She had _had it_. "I'm going for a walk," she announced, looking around for some response.

Everyone seemed to be in their own thoughts. Liz, at least, took the time to look up at her with concern as she perched on Max's lap.

Maria was only looking at Michael though. He was intent on watching the zombie movie and just waved his hand in there air with a, "Kay, see ya."

Maria's shoulders hunched at the near lack of response from Michael. _Fine! I'll go by myself!_ She thought. With determined steps, she left the hotel room, stopping only to grab her purse.

Kyle looked up too and his eyes met Liz's, both faces filled with worry. "Michael, I think she meant for you to go with her," Kyle said.

When he didn't respond, Isabel looked up from the book she had been reading and poked him with her foot, "Michael!"

Startled, Michael looked at her with irritation, "What? I'm watching the movie!"

Isabel rolled her eyes, "Maria left. Go after her," she said, short and to the point. She had little patience lately for the clueless Michael when it came to his love life since he at least still had one and she was alone.

Michael sighed and dragged himself to his feet. With obvious reluctance, he left the hotel room with a sigh, going to look for Maria. Liz shook her head, wondering if Michael would _ever _get a clue. She turned back to Max and went back to kissing him.

Five minutes later, Kyle got up and went to the door. "I'm going to go and make sure he found her. Want to come, Isabel?"

Isabel just shook her head.

"Come on, Is. You need to get some fresh air," Kyle urged.

When she didn't reply, he offered, "I promise we don't have to talk…"

Sighing, Isabel put her book down with a thump, "Fine, but no talking and you get off my back," she said, breezing past him and out the door.

Shaking his head, Kyle followed.

A little down the road, Kyle and Isabel found Michael and Maria standing next to a parking lot, arguing in normal Michael/Maria fashion. She was yelling and he was looking off into the distance pretending to ignore her. This only infuriated her more and she continued with the rant she had started earlier in the kitchen.

Kyle stepped between them, one hand on each of their shoulders, hoping to stop them before it got ugly.

"Why can't you just pay attention to me like you were paying attention to that damn TV?" Maria asked, furious.

"Maybe because the TV doesn't talk my ear off and expect me to come back with profound thoughts. Come on, Maria… I'm not Max. I'm not exactly the profound kind of guy. I thought you'd have come to terms with that by now," Michael replied, arms crossed over his chest in a defensive stance.

"Guys…." Kyle started.

"Stay out of it!" Maria yelled, poking Kyle's chest.

Kyle let go and took a step back. "Maria, I'm only trying to help," he said.

"We don't need your help. If you want to help someone, help yourself or better yet – help Isabel," Michael bit out.

At this, Isabel's eyes flashed. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" she yelled, instantly pissed off.

Maria glanced over worriedly. The 'Isabel situation' was a taboo subject. "He didn't mean anything by it. It's just Michael being Michael…" she said, trying to difuse the situation.

Michael's jaw clenched, "Michael being Michael huh? Well, I guess that says it all. If I'm just being me then why the hell do you insist on expecting things from me?"

Maria threw up her hands in frustration and exasperation, "Because! We're _together_! It's what _couples_ do! They expect things from one another!"

"Why? Especially when you _know_ I won't ever live up to your expectations?" he countered.

From there, the fight was on again. They continued to scream and yell.

Kyle intermittently tried to mediate. He wanted them to back off and think about what they were saying which only led to being violently poked in the chest a few times by Maria and angry glares from Michael. After ten minutes, he gave up and stood back to watch and wait.

Isabel stood in silence, observing the entire thing with a coldness and detachment that scared even her. She felt nothing most of the time, even when they fought. After a few minutes, a feeling began in her chest and spread until her entire body was hot. She was angry. Most of the time she suppressed all emotion, it was just easier for her if she didn't feel at all. Now, however, the emotions were rushing back at lightning speed. Watching the two of them argue over such stupid things really pissed her off. It was as if it was in slow motion. She watched them and time slowed down. She could hear her heart beating in her chest. Suddenly, her head was pounding, the blood rushing to her face.

_Don't they get it? At least they have each other! It's better than being alone!_ She thought.

Just as suddenly as the pain started, it stopped, and she exploded.

"Enough!" she screamed. A bright light shone from her hands and she flung her hands out. A car about a foot away burst into flames and exploded, causing them all to drop to the ground.

People started pouring out of the nearby mini mart to inspect the commotion. Someone yelled to call the police and the fire department. The blast had its intended effect to make Maria and Michael stop arguing though. Isabel, well, Isabel was horrified. Her eyes were round. She was frozen with horror. _What have I done?_ She asked.

One of the bystanders pointed their way, "Hey you! Did you start that fire? How'd you do that? Someone call the police!"

Michael jumped into action, pulling Isabel by the arm with a tight grip, "Come on! We have to get out of here! Kyle: call Max and Liz, tell them to hurry and meet us outside, ready to leave," he ran to some lone cars at the side of the parking lot. Hiding behind the wheels of a jeep, he started them up using his powers. Maria and Kyle had followed, and he turned to them, "Maria, take this jeep back to the hotel. Kyle and Isabel can take that car there. Isabel, change the color, I'll do the same with this one. We'll all meet back at the hotel," his was voice filled with a steely determination.

Maria and Kyle both moved into action, leaving Isabel standing where Michael had dragged her to. Michael got back out of the car and shook her, "Isabel! Snap out of it! You can berate yourself later! We've got to go!" When she still didn't move he shook her harder, "Isabel!"

Shaking her head, her eyes finally focused and she took a deep breath, "Right… change the color of the car," she said. Her hand pressed against the car she and Kyle were to take and suddenly the denim blue car was dark green in color.

Once Maria was in the jeep with him, Michael waved them on, "I'll see you there."

Both Kyle and Isabel jumped into the car and sped off, with Kyle driving and Isabel back in her daze.

Winding down the window, Michael touched the side of his car, making it lime green.

Minutes later, they were all in the hotel parking lot. Max and Liz were waiting for them, a few suitcases at their feet. It was all of their belongings they could pack together in such a short time.

Max saw the look on Michael's face and asked, "What happened?"

Michael's eyes flickered to Isabel who was still in the car with Kyle, not moving. "She finally snapped," he said simply.

Max sighed.

"The cops are going to be looking for us. Some guy tagged us as firestarters."

Liz picked up a bag and nodded to Maria to do the same. Max took a second before he sprung into action, taking all of the bags himself.

"Okay… remember the town we planned to go to next? We'll just go there early. Liz and I will take the jeep and the rest of you, stay in the groups we're already in. If we split up, the police and anyone else will have chase three cars instead of one. We will have a better chance. We'll all meet up and we can go from there," Max said, temporary panic clogging his throat. How'd they end up in this situation _again_? It seemed like they never got a break. Everyone took a bag and got into their vehicles.

Liz, stopping at the jeep door, turned to Maria with a worried look, "Stay safe."

Maria nodded, "You too," she climbed into the car with Michael.

With that, they were all racing off in different directions. As they left, they could hear sirens close by. When Max and Liz rounded one corner, Liz caught sight of a black sedan following them and flinched, "Max… I think we have more than the police after us – look!" she said, pointing.

Turning his head, he caught sight of the car. "It looks like we haven't lost the FBI after all. That's not just the town police following us."

Liz was worried. After a mile or two, she caught sight of a sign and yelled for Max to stop and back up. The sign, small and old, pointed to a way out of town.

"Maybe we can lose them. It doesn't look like a normal road they'd take," she said, pointing to the gravel road. It was more like a road someone would use to get into their property than a road people traveled to leave town, but with little to no other option, Max took the road and floored it. After a while, though, they found that they hadn't lost them at all, as the police sirens got louder and louder behind them.

"How did this happen?" Liz whispered from her seat.

Max just shook his head, he had no answers.

After another mile or two, he was forced to stop because the road seemed to end. Stopping the jeep, they looked over the dashboard. It was a cliff with a sharp drop below. They had gone the wrong way; it was a dead end, and so they were dead too. Max and Liz just started at each other with sorrow in their eyes.

_What happened after Isabel and Kyle picked us up is a story for another day. I'm not sure things can get worse for us. We attract trouble like a moth to a flame – or maybe we are the flames. We do make as much trouble as we fix. I guess it comes with the territory of being married to an alien, but who knows?_

_We're all lucky, really. We may be on the run, may have our problems with each other, but one good thing we do have – the most important thing of all – is each other. Nothing else really matters._

_Liz Parker-Evans_

The gang drove down the highway, taking turns driving as they tried to put as much distance between them and the FBI as possible. They had no real destination in mind, just somewhere safe – if such a place existed. They'd procured a large van they could all fit in, which was like going home because it reminded them all of the one they'd taken when they left Roswell three months before.

Liz was writing in her journal, which had become her normal activity when they were travelling. It kept her mind occupied and stopped her from worrying for a time.

Kyle was in the backseat, singing 'The wheels on the bus' He sang merrily, trying to cheer everyone in the van up with little success.

Maria sat in the front seat next to Michael, chattering on about nothing special and blowing bubbles with her gum. Michael kept telling her to quit it which only made her laugh. They seemed to have worked out their differences – or at least put them on hold for now. Max and Isabel were both in the back, sound asleep.


	2. 402: After The Storm

_Dear Diary,_

_We've all been trying to get past what happened last week. There's just too much tension between everyone – though mostly just between Max and Isabel. I've tried talking to Max, it isn't like him to hold a grudge over a little mistake, but he insists everything is fine. Yesterday, someone else snapped. I was expecting World War Three, but it turned out to be something else entirely…_

It was quite some time since the incident with Isabel before the gang finally stopped in a town. Michael, who has been driving at the time, decided that it was time they all had rest and real food, so pulled into the parking lot of a kind of Mom and Pop's café. The others made no sound to object to the stop.

For almost two weeks, they had been on the road, stuck together in their new vehicle. They had only stopped to eat and instead of booking a motel, they took turns sleeping in the back of their newly-acquired van.

Most of the time, there was an uncomfortable silence amongst the group, but sometimes Kyle would try making jokes to break the tension. He was met with no response most of the time, and every time he would try to talk to Isabel – who hadn't said much to anyone – Max would interrupt, snapping something mean at her. Eventually, even Kyle gave up and spent most of his time sleeping.

When they all piled out of the van and into the café, they chose a booth large enough to fit them all near the back, where they had less chance of being noticed. Kyle made a show of opening his menu, his eyes trailing down from the top of the menu to the bottom, making it obvious he approved of the stop and disapproved of the lack of real food while they were traveling.

Max and Liz were huddled close together, in their own world. Since the near death experience, they had been attached at each other's hip day and night. They didn't say much, and Max and Liz were kinda off themselves. Even Liz was more snappish towards the others, and after coming so close to losing Liz again, Max seemed to turn his terror into a deep resentment towards Isabel, snapping at her and making cruel comments whenever looked like she might be about to speak to someone else. No one said anything about it, even Liz was afraid that if they prodded him into talking about it, he'd lose it like Isabel had. One time bomb was enough, they _really_ didn't need another.

The waitress had just taken their drink orders when something made Michael turn his head towards the other side of the café where the bathrooms were. Later, he would look back on this moment and still be unsure what made him look. He squinted, his forehead creasing. He could see a young child – he thought it was a boy – struggling with a woman. He frowned harder as he watched, wondering what the hell was going on. Driven by instinct, he asked Maria to let him out of the booth. Nodding, Maria let him out before taking her seat again. Michael started towards the bathroom, his steps becoming quicker as he started to hear voices.

"Mom! Let me go! I'm sorry… You're _hurting_ me!"

Michael stepped forward but then stopped. What was he _doing_?

"Mom!" the young boy cried.

Before Michael could decide on what he was going to do, if anything, the woman backhanded the boy with the palm of her hand, "Shut up!" she screamed.

The boy stopped making any noise and stood very still. This did not placate his mother, though. She made a strangled noise, as if the boy had just done something horrible, and yanked his arm roughly, dragging him towards the side door and barging it open with her shoulder.

A roar started in his head when she hit the boy and muted out all other sound in his ears until he could hear nothing else. Michael looked around at the other café patrons. They all stared down at their food, blatantly ignoring what was going on, as if this was just another embarrassing regular occurrence.

Before he even had time to think about what he was doing, Michael followed them outside. There was no one else around, and the woman had the boy up against the brick wall. He looked terrified. Michael couldn't take it anymore. On pure instinct, he raised his hand towards her and a blue light thrust her away from the child and onto the dusty ground. She slumped against the wall, a trickle of blood oozing down her forehead.

Her eyes were wide in shock. Her face had paled. Her mouth was open wide like she was going to scream but couldn't. The boy stood next to her, visibly shaking with fright. Michael stood frozen in shock as well. He couldn't believe he had used his powers against a woman. Sure, if anyone asked him about it, he'd have said she deserved it, but deserving it and experiencing it were two different things. Striking a woman, even with his power, and even if he hadn't _really_ hurt her, was against everything he believed in.

He swallowed hard.

"You… you… you," the woman repeated over and over in a mantra.

Michael's eyes darkened and he took a step closer to her, "Don't _ever_ touch that boy _again_!" he said, his tone rising with each word uttered.

He was going to say more but was stopped by the young boy stepping in front of his mother in a protective stance, "Please. Don't hurt her!"

In that moment, no matter if what he had done was right, he loathed himself. He swallowed the large lump that was in his throat and whispered, "I'm sorry…" before turning around swiftly and going back to the others.

Back at the table, it was obvious Kyle was trying to tell a joke. Isabel looked bored. As he approached, Maria gave Michael a questioning look, to which he just shook his head and sat back down next to her. Max and Liz were as close as they could get, pressed into each other as if someone was trying to pull them apart.

"So, why _did_ the chicken cross the road?" Kyle asked the group, seeming to be repeating himself.

Max took his chance to get in another barb at Isabel, "To get out of the way from Isabel making trouble?"

Silence fell over the table, and eyes were flicking back and forth to one another, no one willing to say anything. It reminded Michael a little of the reaction to the fighting mother and son, and he cringed at the memory.

After a short, uncomfortable silence, Kyle finally gathered up the courage to speak again, "Actually, the chicken crossed the road to get to the other side…"

Liz gave him a smile, "I think the joke needs work, Kyle…" she said, pretending Max hadn't spoken.

Maria laughed, nodding, "You get points for effort though!"

Soon after, their food was delivered and they started eating. They chatted back and forth about nothing in particular, trying to keep the conversation light.

Isabel hadn't paid too much attention to Max's newest dig at her. She finished eating her cheeseburger and picked at her fries. Slumping back into the material of the booth bench, eyes closed, she waited for everyone to finish their own meals and managed to fall asleep.

******* DREAM *******

Vilandra stood near the edge of a lake. She was dressed in a bright yellow sundress. Absently, she noticed that the fabric was unlike anything from Earth, so soft in nature, softer than even silk.

Her hair was braided down her back in coils. She turned at the sound of a noise, her foot moving back and forth in the lake beside her. Her entire face changed, from one of deep in thought to one of perfect joy and happiness. It transformed her face completely, turning from lifeless to full of life.

"Kivar!" she yelled with excitement, picking up the edge of her dress and running towards the man walking in her direction.

She launched herself into his arms, wrapping them around his neck as he caught her against his body.

"Vilandra, my love… I didn't think we'd _ever_ find time to steal away together," he said, smiling down at her, burrowing his nose in her hair and inhaling the scent of her perfume.

Vilandra raised her face, pressing her lips to his, "I know. Zan was finally too busy with the war to notice if I slipped away."

Kivar pulled back from her, taking the blanket that was near her feet and spreading it out on the grass near the lake.

"What about Rath?" he asked.

Vilandra's eyebrow raised, "What about him?"

"Hasn't he been stuck to you like glue lately? 'Protecting' you as Zan asked?"

Vilandra sighed and smoothed her dress out as she took a seat on the outspread blanket, "Yes, he has been. It's quite a pain. I keep telling them I am _quite_ capable of protecting myself but neither of them believe me. I told Rath that I had to go see the doctor on a _personal_ matter. He couldn't get away from me fast enough. You know how men are. You are a man, after all," Vilandra teased, her mouth curved in a smile.

He nodded, "We men feel uncomfortable talking with women about their personal … matters," he said, his tone clearly uncomfortable.

Vilandra rolled her eyes, "Kivar, grow up. It's just cramps and blood. There isn't anything too hard."

"Well I don't know how to talk about feelings and stuff like that."

Vilandra smiled and suddenly moved closer to him into the circle of his arms, "Well, why don't I teach you then?"

His eyes twinkled, "Why not? We love each other. It's only natural to teach each other."

"Exactly," she said, her hand on his chest.

******* END DREAM *******

Isabel woke with a jerk. She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide.

Isabel had slumped onto Kyle's shoulder as she slept, and at her reaction, he frowned, concerned, "You okay, Iz?"

Isabel's eyes flew to his, "Yeah… I'm," she paused when she noticed the hand she had placed on the table was trembling, "Fine," she finished in a whisper.

She swallowed hard. That dream – it had felt so real! Tears pricked her eyes. _I can't do this!_, she thought. She was sitting on the end chair, across from Michael, and got up to run out of the café into the glaring sunlight. She couldn't breathe. She kept sucking in air but still felt like she was suffocating. She didn't know what was wrong with her.

Kyle jumped up after her, pausing to mention to the table that he'd be back. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he stopped short. Standing next to a truck, about five feet away from him, stood Tess. Her hair was blowing in the wind, her eyes sparkling, and her mouth was curved in a bright smile. She turned as if she'd heard him, put up her hand and waved.

Kyle's heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute. _What the fuck?_, he thought.

He was going crazy. That _must_ be it! What other explanation was there but that he was totally nuts. He was seeing _ghosts_ of all things now! Kyle suddenly felt very scared for his sanity.

Swallowing, he walked over to Isabel who was standing next to their van. She was breathing in air like she was scared of drowning. He suddenly knew that feeling all too well.

"Hey, Is?"

Isabel raised her head from her hands and looked up at him, "Yeah?"

"You…. you see anything over there by that truck?" he asked hesitantly.

Isabel frowned and turned her head to where he was pointing. "No… Kyle, there's nothing. Why? You okay?" she asked, momentarily forgetting her own troubles.

"Yeah, of course!" he said with false happiness.

She nodded, not trusting his fake smile.

"You okay? You were acting weird in there," he said to change the subject.

Isabel nodded quickly, "Just had a weird dream was all, nothing important. I'll be fine." With that, Isabel took a step towards the café, but stopped next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Kyle gave her a questioning look.

"Thanks," she said, and then walked back inside.

Later, they had a motel room, having finally finding one on the outskirts of the town to avoid most people. There had been a group consensus that they needed to stop and not spend another night driving in the van.

Earlier, Maria and Michael had been talking in whispers in the kitchen. Now, they were sitting on the couch side by side, Maria's head on Michael's shoulder. Maria had been trying to get him to tell her what had rattled him at the café; Michael, being Michael, had dodged her questions with experience of a lifetime for a whole two hours of interrogation before he finally gave up and explained what had happened. He had admitted fearfully that he was terrified he was becoming a monster. Maria had told him he was being an ass. She couldn't believe he'd think saving an innocent child from further abuse could be the actions of a monster.

A knock sounded on the door, jolting them from their place. Michael, who was closest, got up to answer it. He peeked through the blinds to make sure it wasn't the police or FBI. What he saw shocked him - it was the woman from the café. Instantly, he was alert and suspicious and opened the door cautiously. He took a defensive stance, "What are you doing here?" he asked roughly.

The woman's eyes were puffy and red as if she had spent hours crying. She swallowed hard and gave him a tentative smile. "I'm Lia," she said, her eyes pleading.

"Nice name," was all he gave in reply.

Her chin trembled and her eyes closed briefly. "I wanted to come and thank you," she said, taking a deep breath for courage.

His eyebrow raised in disbelief, "Thank me?"

She nodded, "What you did…" she started, her voice cracking, "Thank you. You were right. I have a problem. I realize that now."

Taking another breath she said, "I came here to thank you. I followed you earlier, when you left. I guess, because I was afraid. I'm taking Bobby – my son – to my sister's while I get clean."

Michael's jaw was clenched, "That's great," he said, his voice dripping sarcasm. How many times had he heard that the bastard that abused him was getting help? That it would be different? Too many, and it was never true. Michael felt someone walk up behind him, but kept his eyes locked on the woman on the doorstep.

Her eyes glistened with tears, "I know you don't believe me. Why would you? You don't know me… You'll see though. I _am_ going to get help and be a better mother, a better person. I have you to thank. If you hadn't done what you did, I would have done something terrible."

Michael nodded, unable to completely believe her but hoping for the sake of Bobby that she was being honest and it would change like she said.

The boy, Bobby, came up on the step beside her, taking hold of her hand.

"Again… thank you," she said, inclining her head and going back to the car, leaving Bobby standing in front of him.

Michael's eyes moved to his and for a few minutes they stared at one another in complete silence. Then all of a sudden, Bobby rushed forward and wrapped his small hands around Michael's waist. He clenched Michael tightly. He whispered something against Michael's jeans but it was muffled.

"What? I can't hear you," he said.

Bobby raised his head, "Thank you. Thanks for saving me."

Just as quickly, Bobby waved and rushed back to the car. The car started and drove off. Michael stood in the doorway, bewildered at what just happened.

As he started into the distance, arms came up from behind to wrap around his middle. Turning his head, he found Maria behind him, smiling. She had been standing behind the door. He blushed pink with embarrassment, though he didn't understand why.

She smiled, moving into his arms, her mouth going to his.

She brushed her lips over his before deepening the kiss, "See that…"

He frowned, "What?"

"You did that, Michael. You saved that little boy. Whether or not she really gets clean and the abuse stops, it doesn't matter."

Michael opened his mouth to start a rant when she put her fingers over his lips to stop him, "No, stop. Listen to me Michael. The future doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that right here, right now, the abuse stopped, and it did because of _you_. I'm proud of you."

Maria gave him another smile before leaving him alone with his thoughts. Liz came outside to stand beside Michael, who was now outside and had turned to stare at the place he'd last seen the car.

"Wow…" she said.

Michael gave her a questioning look.

"You're impressive, Michael," she said.

He frowned. How was _he_ impressive?

She laughed at his confused expression, "I had to say it because I just didn't realize it."

He started to get a little impatient, "Realize what, Liz?"

She smiled, her face soft, "I realized, Michael, that you're more like Max than I ever knew."

Michael looked at Liz in wonder, "That… That's the best compliment you could ever give. Too bad I know it's not true."

Liz patted him on the shoulder as she turned and went back into the room, "I think it is. Face it, Guerin, you're a hero," she said, leaving him standing with a dumbfounded look on his face.

_That's right, I think Michael Guerin is a hero. That's a word I never thought I'd ever associate with Michael. After they talked, Maria told me that it was the closest she'd ever felt to him._

_Kyle has been acting strange since that day as well. He keeps looking behind him like he sees something we don't. He brushes me off when I ask him about it. Kind of like Isabel, who's more closed off than she's been before and I didn't think thatwas possible all things considered. I don't know what happened to those two outside the café, but they're not sharing that experience with us._

_Max has stopped asking me if I'm okay every five minutes, which is great, because it was starting to drive me insane. He won't make peace with Isabel though. I worry that one of them is going to do something they regret because of the way Max is treating her, and since they both have powers, someone could get hurt. Mostly I worry she may decide to leave. That would be something Max would come to regret for the rest of his life. He'd never forgive himself._

_I guess I just have to be happy we seem to be safe at the moment._

_Liz Parker-Evans_


End file.
